Dramaturgy based on literary text

Abstract

This article presents a theoretical and practical approach to applying the concepts of dramaturgy to literary texts. It distinguishes between dramaturgy and literature of the dramatic genre, as well as between dramaturgical processes based on literary works and the adaptation of texts. Readings and rereadings of texts from various literary genres, combined with notions of theatricality, performativity, and corporeality, are demonstrated here as a possibility for studying and understanding literature. The article also explores two practical examples of applying dramaturgical processes to two literary works: a novel by Isabel da Nóbrega (Viver com os outros) and an epic poem by Luís de Camões (Os Lusíadas). The dramaturgical processes described here were tested in a school context, in the Theatre subject (12th grade option), at the Camões Secondary School in Lisbon. The practice described here is fundamentally directed towards the educational context.